The purpose of this project is to survey the American diet for cooked foods contributing to the human intake of heterocyclic amine mutagens/carcinogens. We will use two methods 1) an HPLC analysis method already in use in our laboratory which uses solid phase extractions, and 2) a more sensitive GC/MS method which requires derivitization of the analyte and will be more useful for quantitation of the less abundant compounds. The part-per-billion levels of the heterocyclic amine carcinogens in the foods requires extensive sample preparation and sensitive and specific analytical methods. The number of heterocyclic amines requires methods that will detect and quantify several compounds per analysis, the two proposed methods will fulfill this requirement. We will work closely with the risk analysis group of this project to determine the quantitative amounts of heterocyclic amines in the human diet. The risk group will determine the potentially important foods based of the rate of consumption, and this project will quantify the mutagens/carcinogens for risk calculations. We will also study mutagen formation in model reactions to complete the identification of some unknown and partly-characterized heterocyclic amines in cooked foods. Identified structures will be quantified in foods and be available for evaluation of their biological properties. We will investigate practical methods to reduce the formation of heterocyclic amine mutagens/carcinogens by precursor removal or degradation before cooking and quantitation of the specific compounds remaining following these procedures.